Locked Up
by KaitlinRoxUrSox
Summary: When a new neighbor moves in next door to the Mills, Regina realizes she may not be exactly who she says she is. This girl becomes the source for many questions for Regina, but maybe the answer for a few, too.
1. Author's Note

Hey guys! So I'm going to be rewriting this first chapter. i know I haven't updated in forever! I've been super busy. So this weekend I'm going to rewrite chapter one, because it quite messy and broken up. Then I will post chapter two. Thank you so much to those who choose to keep reading, and any new readers.


	2. Chapter 1

**a/n: hey duuuuudes. so here is my rewritten version of Locked Up. Sorry i've taken twelve trillion years to update….been busy but now i'm back! (:**

**Read and review!**

Emma Swan ran her fingers through her curly blonde tresses, as she stood in front of the big white mansion, where her young son, Henry, and his mother, Regina Mills, lived.

As much as Emma hated Regina, she loved Henry, and loved to spend time with him. Today, she was picking him up so that they could spend a day in the park together.

She took a deep breath and rang the door bell, praying that Henry answered the door. And as if God was listening, Henry answered the door.

"Hi Emma!" He exclaimed, going outside to hug Emma.

"Hey kid," Emma said with a smile.

"Henry, come inside. You're not wearing a coat," Regina scolded, pursing her lips when she saw Emma standing there.

"Come on in, Emma! I'll be right back," Henry exclaimed.

"I think I'll wait out here, kid, but thanks," Emma said with a small grin, as Henry ran outside.

"Oh for heaven's sake, Ms. Swan. Do come in," Regina said rolling her eyes. Emma bit her lip sheepishly as she came inside.

"New neighbors?" Emma asked, after a several minutes of uncomfortable, tense silence. She had seen a teenaged girl bringing in boxes from a truck.

"It appears so," Regina said tersely, "Henry wanted to bake something to bring over. Perhaps you two could do that today, if that's not too out of your capabilities," Regina said patronizingly.

"Good one," Emma smirked, "We'll make something."

"Wonderful," Regina said sarcastically. Then Henry came downstairs.

"All set, kid?" Emma asked.

"Yep! Bye mom," Henry said, hugging his mother quickly.

"Goodbye, Henry. Not too late, Ms. Swan," Regina warned.

"Don't worry. We'll be back after dinner, around 7," Emma said. She had the whole day planned for them.

"Very well," Regina said nodding. She saw them to the door, closing it behind them. She sighed as she heard Henry immediately laughing and joking with Emma as soon as the she had shut the door.

She felt like she was losing her son to a woman Henry had only met a few months ago. She peered out the window at their new neighbor. The girl bringing in boxes was a teenager, probably only sixteen or seventeen. She thought it was odd that she hadn't seen any adults with her, besides the men from the moving company.

She decided that she would make a dish to bring over as well. Mostly so she could scope out her new neighbors, but also because she did not have high faith that Henry and Emma would be able to bake something edible. She chuckled at the thought, and went to work on a macaroni casserole.

**.oOo.**

After a long day in the park, with a stop for lunch at Granny's, Henry and Emma returned back to the apartment that Emma shared with Mary Margaret.

"So your mom thinks that we won't be able to bake something for your new neighbor," Emma explained.

"And you think we can?" Henry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well sure, why not? What do you know how to make?" She asked.

"Emma, I'm a ten year old _boy_. What do you think I know how to make?" He asked rolling his eyes.

"True…well what about some cookies?" Emma suggested, "Can't be that hard." They went to work collecting all the ingredients that they assumed went into cookies.

"Taste the batter," Emma said, handing the spoon to Henry.

"Ah, no way. You taste it!" Henry said, refusing to the utensil.

"Fine!" Emma exclaimed, dipping her finger in, "Oh shit, sorry, shoot! Those are," Emma closed her eyes, spitting out the batter into a napkin, "Wow," Emma said frowning.

"Maybe they'll taste better after we bake them?" Henry asked.

"Hard to believe, but maybe…" Emma said with a shrug, putting them in.

"Why don't you know how to bake?" Henry asked as they sat on the couch, waiting for the cookies.

"Well, it's been just me for a really long time," Emma explained, "So I only have to make stuff for me…so usually I just make myself a bowl of ramen noodles…or cold pizza for breakfast," Emma said with a shrug.

"My mom would NEVER let me eat pizza for breakfast," Henry said with wide eyes.

"Well that's probably a good thing," Emma said laughing.

"And she makes me eat icky vegetables," Henry grimaced.

"You're very lucky," Emma told him.

"That I get to eat gross vegetables?" He asked.

"Well, that you have someone who makes you eat those vegetables," Emma explained, "I didn't have someone growing to give me good food, or make me do my homework," She explained with a sigh.

"That's sad…I'm sorry," Henry said, snuggling into Emma's side.

"It's okay. I have a family now and that's what matters," She said with a grin.

"Emma is something burning?" Mary Margaret called from her bedroom.

"Shit. The cookies!" Emma exclaimed. She shot off the couch and ran into the kitchen. She pulled them out of the oven quickly, coughing as she exhaled the smoke.

"Emma what are you-" Mary Margaret began as she walked into the kitchen, "Gross, Emma…" she said sighing.

"Miss Blanchard…maybe you could help us make some better cookies?" Henry asked shyly.

"Of course Henry," She said with a soft smile. She shot a 'not impressed' look at Emma, who grinned sheepishly.

"What are these for?" Emma asked, throwing the first batch in the garbage trash and starting on a new batch.

"Henry and Regina have a new neighbor and so he wants to make cookies to bring over," She explained.

"Also, mom didn't think me and Emma could bake the cookies," Henry explained.

"Well you obviously couldn't!" Mary Margaret teased. They made small talk as the cookies finished baking.

"Would you mind if I took the credit for these?" Emma asked Mary Margaret as she pulled out the cookies, "Because they look great."

"Yes of course," Mary Margaret said, rolling her eyes. They boxed the cookies up and then it was time to leave.

"I'll be back in a little bit. Thank you thank you thank you!" Emma said, hugging Mary Margaret quickly.

"No problem," She said with a smile.

"Bye Miss Blanchard! Thank you!" Henry said waving, as Emma rushed him out the door, not wanting Henry to be late.

"Bye Henry. See you at school on Monday," Mary Margaret said waving back.

They arrived back at Regina's just on time.

"Ah, Miss Swan," Regina said, "Did you manage to bake alright?"

"We made cookies, Mom! And they are sooooooooo good," Henry said.

"I'm glad. I made a little dish myself. Why don't the three of us go next door," Regina suggested.

"I've gotta get going….I have to finish writing some reports at the station," Emma explained, "I'll see you later, Henry." Emma hugged Henry, and kissed him on the forehead.

"Bye!" He said grinning with a wave. They watched as Emma drove away, before walking over to the neighbors.

Henry knocked on the door, careful not to drop the cookies. They waited a few moments, but then a girl appeared at the door.

"Hi," she said with a small smile. She had blonde hair, and sparking blue eyes. Regina was struck when she saw the girl, because she looked so familiar.

"Uh, hi…I'm Henry and this is my mom, Regina," Henry introduced, confused by Regina's weird trance.

"Yes, I'm Regina. We live next door," Regina said motioning to their house.

"I'm Alice," the girl said, shaking Regina's hand. She was about to say more, but she interrupted by a yell.

"ALICE! WHO'S THERE?"

"Just the neighbor's, Grandma," Alice called back, "Sorry," she apologized, "My grandmother is losing her hearing…She would come, but she's resting right now," Alice explained.

"Oh, it's not a problem at all," Regina said with a smile. She studied Alice's face for a moment, noting a small scar on her cheek, and a bruised on her lower jaw. Alice noticed Regina looking, and turned to Henry.

"We made you some food!" Henry explained. He handed her the platter of cookies and the casserole.

"Thank you so much. That was very thoughtful of you," Alice said, graciously accepting the food, "I would invite you in…but uhm, my grandmother isn't feeling well right now."

"That's alright. Another time. Is there anyone else home with you?" Regina asked.

"Nope it's just me and my grandmother. Been that way since I was a little girl," Alice explained, and that seemed to be all she wanted to say about it.

"Well if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call or come over. You're welcome any time," Regina said gently.

"Thank you very much," Alice said sincerely.

"ALICE!" Her grandmother yelled.

"I'm sorry, I have to…" Alice explained, sighing.

"It's okay. It was nice to meet you," Regina said with a smile.

"You as well. Thank you for the food," Alice said again.

"Bye!" Henry said with a smile, and they shut the door.

"You were weird back there, Mom," Henry commented.

"Sorry…I'm just a little distracted. C'mon, let's get you in the bath," Regina said, as they walked back to their house.

**.oOo.**

"Must you be _so_ obnoxious all the time? They think you're a crazy senile old woman," Alice said bitterly as she walked into the living room.

"Must you be such a sour little bitch?" The woman asked Alice back. Alice rolled her eyes.

"Cora," Alice warned the woman sitting in the rocking chair. Though the woman _was_ her grandmother, Alice was not with her by choice. She was being held against her will, because Cora had something that Alice's needed. Cora had Alice's heart.

"Was it her?" Cora asked.

"Yes, _gram, _that was my mother. And her son," Alice said, glaring at the woman in the rocking chair. She couldn't wait till she was free and could defeat Cora. But as long as Cora held her heart, she was under her command, out of fear that she would crush it, killing her.

"Son?" Cora asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You didn't know she had a son?" Alice asked surprised.

"Guess she got over losing you pretty fast," Cora sneered.

"Guess you didn't plan everything as well as you thought! Her son didn't look like her at all though," Alice explained.

"So not actually her son," Cora mused.

"She noticed my scar. And the bruised. You're gonna have to stop hitting me, if you want me to spend more time with her. Otherwise, she'll get suspicious," Alice said. Though she put on a brave front with Cora, she was terrified of her.

"Well if you stop being such an insolent twit, I wouldn't have to hit you," Cora said. She turned away from Alice and went back to reading her spell book.

"Magic here isn't like it is back home," Cora murmured, "Which means she won't be as powerful."

"Then neither will you," Alice muttered quietly, walking away.

"Brat," Cora spat, and waved her hand, sending a surge of magic hurling at Alice. It hit her and slammed her against the wall.

"Fuck," Alice muttered.

"Best be careful, love," Cora warned. Alice stayed lying on the ground for a long time, before finally willing herself to stand. She dragged herself to her room quietly, and fell fast asleep.

**.oOo.**

Regina could not stop staring at the house. She had seen a bright flash of purple light, which had looked a lot like magic. She had ignored it though, chalking it up to just seeing things.

But god, that girl had looked so familiar. She just didn't know why. She had noticed a bruise, but there was no way that if her grandmother was as old and sick as the girl had made her seem, that she had caused the bruised.

She tossed and turned the rest of the night, not able to sleep much at all.


	3. Chapter 2

**a/n: Hey everybody! Thanks so much for all the reviews and for all the people who followed this story! I'm trying to update once a week… (seems like friday and saturday are really the only days I have time to write). I'm sorry if this is too long, but thank you so much for being patient anyways.**

**Special shout out to my reviewers: Fashionable Raid, Russianeyes718ouat7ncis, and pinkcrazyness- you guys are angels. And thanks to everyone who is reading!**

**Also- as of right now, this isn't a Swan Queen story. For now its just a Regina Emma friendship deal. (:**

**So here is chapter two! As always please read, review and enjoy!**

**xoxo**

FLASHBACK

In Fairytale Land

_"Push!" The midwife coaxed. A young Regina pushed again, screaming out in pain._

_ "That's good, very good! I see ahead. On three, push again! 1, 2, 3," The midwife told Regina, who had sweat and tears streaming down her face, but she pushed as the nurse told her. _

_ She was not only crying because of the pain, but also because of the situation around. Daniel was dead because her mother had killed him, and she was to marry King Leopold. She wished nothing more than for Daniel to be with her to see the birth of their child, but Cora had killed him before Regina even had the chance to tell him that she was pregnant. _

_ As Regina pushed, her mother leaned casually against Regina's bedroom wall, not supporting her daughter at all._

_ "That's it Regina. One more push should do it," The midwife told her. And so, as they had been doing, on three, Regina pushed._

_ "There it is," the midwife said with a grin, as she gently wiped the newborn baby off with a towel. She wrapped the baby in a blanket and looked down smiling. _

_ Regina wiped her brow and looked at the midwife, "May I hold her?" _

_ "Of course, dear," the midwife said with a gentle smile. She carefully placed the baby girl in Regina's arms._

_ "Have you chosen a name?" the midwife asked._

_ "Alice," Regina said with a grin. She took the baby and kissed her on the forehead._

_ "Hi beautiful," Regina murmured, kissing the baby again. She looked up at the midwife, "God, she's perfect." She continued to rock her baby gently._

_ "That's enough, Regina," Cora said coldly, walking up to her bed side._

_ "What?" Regina asked, looking up._

_ "Give me the baby. It's time to say goodbye," Cora said cruelly._

_ "No mother. This is my daughter. You will not take her," Regina said forcefully._

_ "You can give her to me, or I can take her with magic. Which do _you_ think will hurt the baby more?" Cora said pulling the baby out of Regina's arms. It began to cry, as did Regina, who was screaming._

_ "Mother GIVE ME MY DAUGHTER!" Regina screamed. _

_ "ENOUGH!" Cora yelled, flashing a hand at Regina, who was suddenly frozen by a magical hold._

_ "No mother! Please," Regina begged._

_ "That's enough out of you," Cora commanded and walked away with baby._

_ "Nooooo!" Regina cried out, the tears streaming down her face. With a snap of her fingers, both Cora and the baby were gone. The midwife stood, shaking nervously, unsure what to do._

_ "Just go," Regina told her, which she did quickly. Regina sat in her bed, crying and trembling the rest of the night._

Present Day

Storybrooke

"So how were the new neighbors?" Emma asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Interesting," Regina said, staring into her coffee. They were sitting at Regina's kitchen table, waiting for Henry to get ready. Emma was taking Henry to school today.

"Interesting how?" Emma asked, trying to spark more conversation.

"If you're so curious about them, you could go over and meet them!" Regina snapped. Emma was taken aback by the outburst.

"Jesus, sorry, Regina. I was just trying to make some friendly conversation," Emma said biting her lip.

"No, no…I'm sorry, Ms. Swan. I don't know what came over me," Regina said looking away again. There was silence, "Well, I do know what came over me…I'm worried about our neighbor," Regina admitted.

"Worried why?" Emma asked.

"It's just a girl living there and her crazy, old grandmother…but there was something…off about the girl," Regina explained.

"Like she was crazy?" Emma asked.

Regina shook her head, "Like she was…scared."

"Of what?" Emma asked.

"I'm not sure…would you mind just stopping by and introducing yourself as the sheriff…and just see if you think anything's weird?" Regina requested.

"Yeah, no problem, Regina," Emma said nodding.

"Thank you," Regina said, giving a grateful smile. She was glad that the two of them could be civilized and not always bickering, as was Emma.

"Hi Emma," Henry greeted with a smile as he entered the kitchen.

"Ready for school?" Emma asked.

"Yep!" Henry said with a smile. Regina stood and grabbed a lunch box off the counter.

"Here's your lunch. Have a good day," Regina said with a smile.

"Thanks, mom," he said with a grin. She kissed his forehead, and smiled again when he squirmed away.

"Oh calm down, kid. Your mom loves be thankful she doesn't do it in front of all your friends at school," Emma teased with a wink.

"I can start if you'd like," Regina added.

"No no mom it's okay! Love you! Come on, Emma," He said scurrying away. Regina and Emma laughed.

"See you later Regina. I'll bring him home before dinner?" Emma asked.

"That sounds good. Good bye Ms. Swan," Regina said, seeing them to the door.

"And I'll make sure to stop by next door," Emma added.

"Thank you," Regina said quietly. She watched the pair drive away in Emma's silly yellow Bug. She went back inside the kitchen to finish her coffee.

**.oOo.**

"Sleep well?" Cora asked coldly.

"Fine. Thank you," Alice said quietly. She didn't want to give Cora the satisfaction of seeing the bruises caused by last night's altercation.

"Let's clean those up for you," Cora said, even though she hadn't seen the bruises. She flashed her hand at Alice, and the bruises disappeared. Alice pressed her finger where one bruise had been and cringed.

"I didn't take the pain away. Just the appearance. Can't have you all bruised up when you see Regina again," Cora said.

"Will I be seeing her soon?" Alice asked, almost hopeful.

"You're welcome anytime. Isn't that what she said?" Cora asked.

"Cora," Alice began.

"Maybe she needs a baby sitter. And if you talk to her son, you can get some insight on what her weaknesses are," Cora explained.

"I don't know if that's a good idea…using her son to get to her," Alice said hesitantly.

"I'm not," Cora said with an evil grin, "I'm using her daughter."

Alice shuddered, remembering that Regina was in fact her mother.

"Now are you going to do this yourself, or am I going to have to make you?" Cora asked, eying the charmed box on the mantle that held Alice's heart.

"I will…" Alice said sighing.

"Good. Now go out into town and maybe you'll run into her. If not that, maybe you'll meet people who can help with what we need," Cora said with a wicked glimmer in her eyes.

"Okay," Alice said quietly. She went into her room to change and get dressed, and then she was off.

**.oOo.**

Alice entered Granny's diner. It was a cozy little diner. A young woman, dressed in a tight shirt exposing half her stomach, and tight short shorts came up to the door.

"Hi, welcome to Granny's. Take any seat you'd like," She said, flashing a grin.

"Thanks," Alice said tentatively. She walked in, looking for a quiet table.

"Alice," She heard her name being called. She turned around and saw Regina, sitting herself down at a corner table. Part of her was excited to see the woman again, but another was fearful, because she was here to use anything she could get from Regina against her.

"Hi Regina," Alice said with a smile.

"Have a seat," Regina offered. Alice thanked her quietly and sat at the table across from Regina. Ruby came and took their orders.

"Could I have a coffee, please, with cream and one sugar," Alice asked.

"I'll have the same, Ruby," Regina requested and Ruby walked away.

"You get your coffee like that, too?" Alice asked.

"Always have," Regina said with a smile. Alice felt a pang in her heart. This was her mother right across from her, and she couldn't do anything about it. There was a moment of silence.

"How are you?" Regina asked with a smile.

"Good. My grandmother was asleep so I decided to explore the town a little," Alice explained.

"Does she stay in bed a lot?" Regina asked.

"Most of the time," Alice lied.

"You must get bored," Regina said.

"Sometimes. It's mostly just lonely," Alice said with a shrug, "I'll be starting school next week, so at least then maybe I can meet some kids."

"That's good," Regina said with a smile, "Hey, why don't you come over for dinner," Regina suggested, "Henry and Emma will be there."

"Emma?" Alice asked.

"Oh you haven't met her yet. Emma Swan in the town's sheriff, and Henry's mother," Regina explained. The look of confusion on Alice's face showed that Regina had cleared much up with her explanation.

"Emma is Henry's birth mother…I adopted Henry. Kind of a long story," Regina explained with a laugh, "Which you could hear all about at dinner," She added with a grin.

"I'll have to check with my grandmother and make sure she's okay," Alice explained.

"She's welcome to come, too," Regina offered. _You wouldn't want Cora in your house, _Alice thought.

"Thank you. I'll let her know," Alice said.

"Well here, I'll give you my phone number, and if you'd like to come over and hang out, just send me a text," Regina said. Alice pulled out her phone and gave it to Regina to put her phone number in.

"There you go," Regina said, handing the phone back to Alice.

"Thank you," Alice said with a grin. Looking at the time, she figured it'd be a good excuse to leave.

"I have to run. I've been out for a while, and I have to go check on my grandmother," Alice explained.

"Well thank you for having coffee with me," Regina said, "You're good company," She added with a laugh.

"You are, too," Alice said with a smile, "Maybe I'll see you tonight."

"Alright, I'll see you," Regina said, and watched Alice leave the diner. What was curious was that the bruises she had seen yesterday were gone. Every single one.

**.oOo.**

"Cora," Alice called, walking into the kitchen. She didn't reply.

"Cora?" Alice called again, walking into the living room. She tried once more, "Cor-" but was cut off, as she was hurled against the wall.

"What was that for?" She exclaimed, coughing as the wind was knocked out of her.

"I was testing out the new magic I practiced," Cora explained casually. She dropped Alice.

"I was invited to dinner with Regina and Henry," Alice explained, deciding to leave Emma out, and the part about how she was invited too.

"And then to hang out after," Alice added with a shrug.

"You will go," Cora commanded.

"Okay…I was just making sure it was okay with you," Alice said quietly.

"Well considering you actually did something right for once, I won't practice my magic on you anymore today. Go freshen yourself up and then I'll clean up those cuts and bruises," Cora commanded. Alice nodded quietly and went away to get ready.

She quickly sent out a text to Regina.

**Hi. I can come to dinner tonight. Grandma can't though. She's too tired. Thanks. -Alice**

She put her phone down pulling a towel out of a drawer.

**Great! See you around 6pm! -Regina**

** Sounds good. Thank you. -Alice**

Alice put her phone away and climbed in the shower.

**.oOo.**

Emma was driving Henry back to Regina's house when her cell phone rang.

"Sheriff Swan," Emma answered.

"It's Regina," the voice on the other line answered.

"Oh, hey. We're almost back to your place," Emma said.

"That's fine. I was actually calling to see if you'd stay for dinner tonight?" Regina asked.

"Oh…uh, sure okay. Yeah. Thank you," Emma sputtered. Regina laughed.

"I invited Alice over and I figured you might as well stay, too and have dinner," Regina explained.

"Oh okay. Yes I would love to have dinner with you guys," Emma said. Henry looked at her surprised.

"Great. See you in a bit," Regina said, grinning.

"Alright, see ya, Regina," Emma said, chuckling at how excited Regina was.

"What's going on?" Henry asked raising an eyebrow as they pulled into Regina's driveway.

"Alice is going to have dinner with us," Emma said with a shrug. Henry's face lit up at the mention of Alice.

"It's almost six. Mom's gonna be mad that we're cutting it close!" Henry warned Emma.

"It's not six yet, though," Emma said with a wink, "She'll be okay." Henry laughed and climbed out of the car, running inside, followed by Emma.

"Hey mom, we're back!" Henry called. Regina walked into the foyer from the kitchen.

"Hey, buddy," Regina said with a grin, "Can you come set the table, please?"

"Sure!" Henry said walking into the dining room.

"Anything I can do?" Emma asked, following Regina into the kitchen.

"Can you just bring the salad in? I have to pull out the lasagna," Regina explained.

"No problem," Emma said. She brought the salad in, and as she placed it, the door bell rang.

"I got it!" Henry called, running through the room before Emma could even say anything. He pulled the door open.

"Hi!" He exclaimed with a grin, seeing Alice standing there, shyly. Her long hair fell in ringlet, and she was wearing a pretty blue dress. She held a bouquet of flowers.

"Hi Henry," She greeted. He moved so she could come inside.

"Mom made lasagna, which is probably the best thing she makes, and salad, and oh Emma's here, too!" Henry rambled. Alice just laughed, overwhelmed by the little boy's excitement.

"Hi Alice," Regina said with a smile, walking into the foyer. Emma was finishing setting the table.

"Hi Regina. Here I brought some flowers," Alice said, holding out the bouquet.

"Thank you! They're lovely. I'll go put them in a vase. Come on in. Emma's in the dining room. Henry, can you introduce her?" Regina asked, as she took the flowers.

"Okay mom. C'mon, Alice!" Henry exclaimed. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the dining room. Regina smiled at the two.

"Emma, this is Alice!" Regina heard Henry say. She listened to their interaction for a few more minutes, before moving back to the kitchen. She put the flowers in a vase, and then came into the dining room with the lasagna.

"Who's ready for dinner?" Regina asked with a grin.

**.oOo.**

Throughout dinner, the group laughed, told stories and jokes, and had a good time. While Alice had to make up many lies about her past that Cora and she practiced often, everything that she could be truthful about, she was. It made her heart hurt that this was what her life could have been like- a family dinner. Suddenly she felt her mother's eyes on her. She bit her lip and took a sip of water. Why was Regina looking at her?

Regina had been studying Alice the entire dinner. So had Emma, but Emma was more conspicuous about it. Every mannerism, or personal thing that Alice shared. The similarities between Regina and Alice was overwhelming. Emma didn't know if Regina saw it, but Emma sure did. There was definitely something up.

By the end of dinner, Regina had come to a conclusion. It wasn't a coincidence that a girl named Alice had just moved in next door and they had connected so well. Even Henry had instantly liked the girl.

"Emma, can I…speak to for a moment?" Regina requested when dinner was over. Henry and Alice had offered to clear the table and do dishes.

"Sure," Emma said confused. She followed Regina into her study, "What's up?"

"You were paying pretty close attention to Alice tonight, right?" Regina asked.

"I guess so," Emma said with a shrug, "Why?"

"Well…what did you notice?" Regina asked curiously.

"She bites her lip when she gets uncomfortable, but the discomfort isn't about something that happens in the open, it's in her head. She tried not to talk much about her past. She steered clear of talking about her parents…wait. Regina what's this about?" Emma asked suspiciously.

"I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't seeing things because I wanted to..even if they weren't there," Regina said sheepishly.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Can I tell you something?" Regina asked, "A secret?"

"Yeah, of course," Emma said nodding.

"You remember what I said about Daniel?" Regina asked. Emma nodded solemnly, recounting the night when Regina had called her, drunk and crying, and had poured her heart out to her.

"The day after my mother killed Daniel, I found out that I was pregnant with his baby," Regina explained. Emma was confused. "I thought my mother was going to terminate the pregnancy, but she tricked me. She let me deliver the baby. I truly thought she would let me keep it. And then after a few moments of holding my little in my arms, she took her away. When she came back later that night, I asked her where my baby was. My mother said that she," Regina choked back a sob, "she said she had killed her." Regina was trembling, but she wasn't crying.

"Oh Regina," was all Emma could say. She put her arm around the older woman.

"I named her Alice," Regina said after a few moments of silence.

"Shit. You don't think…" Emma began.

"I do. I want to anyways. But what if it's just a huge coincidence?" Regina asked.

"I don't know, honestly. All you can do is get to know her better. She really likes you Regina. I can tell," Emma said.

"Really?" Regina asked hopefully.

"Definitely. Maybe talk to the grandmother? See what she knows," Emma suggested.

"Maybe I will. Thank you, Ms. Swan," Regina said sitting up again.

"Emma," Emma corrected with a laugh. Regina just smiled. She was glad they had gone from being cranky bitches to each other, to being almost friends.

"C'mon. Let's get back in there," Emma said, holding out her hand to help Regina off the couch. Regina took it gratefully, and they walked back in to see Henry and Alice taking out bowls and ice-cream.

"Ready for dessert?" Henry asked with a hopeful grin.

"Oh we most definitely are!" Emma exclaimed, jokingly bumping Regina out of the way with her hip, so that she could get the ice cream first.

Alice grinned as she watched the group teasing each other. So far, this had been a good night. Almost nothing could ruin this.

Almost.


	4. Chapter 3

**a/n: hi guuyyys. sorry for such a long wait between chapters! honestly, i am. i'm suppppeeeer busy, but i'll work on it. promise! read and review please **

**xoxo**

The group had been involved in quite a tense game of Monopoly for almost two hours now, with Regina in the lead. She owned almost all the properties and held hotels on each ones.

"I think she's cheating," Emma called out.

"I'm a politician," Regina said with a shrug, giving Alice a wink.

"Well I'm out," Alice said with a chuckle, realizing that she had mortgaged all her properties and now had no money left.

"Darnit! Me too! Because of all your stupid hotels," Henry cried, giving Regina a playful glare.

"I quit. Looks like you win, Mayor Mills," Emma teased with a wink.

"As usual," Regina retorted with a grin. Alice's phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket.

"Oh, excuse me. It's my grandmother," She said quickly, standing up. Regina gave her a gentle smile and watched as she walked into the kitchen. She shut the door behind her.

"Yes?" Alice asked, answering the phone.

_"Where are you?" Cora asked._

"Regina's. I told you," Alice bit.

_"Come back now," Cora commanded._

"Now? Why?" Alice asked worriedly.

_"There's been a change of plans," Cora explained, malice dripping from her words._

Regina, who had been putting away the board game in a closet by the kitchen, stopped by the door to listen in on the conversation.

"What?" Alice asked, sounding scared.

_"Damnit girl. Don't ask questions! If you aren't home in ten minutes I swear to God I'll-" Cora began, but Alice cut her off._

"You'll what? Kill me?" Alice asked. There was silence. Kill her? Regina's ears perked up at that. Who was she really talking to?

"You've already ruined my life. You've taken me from my home, from my father and from my mother. And now look what you're making me do. Killing me would be showing me mercy," Alice muttered. Cora didn't respond. "I'll be home in ten minutes. Bye." With that, Alice hung up.

As quickly as Regina heard her hanging up, Alice was coming out the door. She bumped right into Alice.

"Oh God, Regina! I'm sorry. You startled me," Alice admitted, surprised that Regina was right there.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," Regina apologized, looking at the girl. She studied her face. Alice looked tired, and her eyes were rimmed with tears. Regina brought her hand up to Alice's face, who flinched when she saw the hand. She immediately calmed when she felt Regina's soothing hand wiping away the few tears running down her cheeks.

"Sorry…must've gotten something in my eyes," Alice said, embarrassed to be crying. She wiped the tears away quickly, and was good as new.

"Are you okay?" Regina asked.

"Yeah, oh yeah…definitely. Actually, I've got to head home, though. My grandmother needs me….doesn't really like being alone for too long," Alice lied, beginning to walk with Regina into the living room.

"Home? You sure you can't stay?" Regina asked, nervous to let her go home, after what she'd overheard.

"Yeah, I've really got to go. But thank you for having me over," Alice said.

"Oh of course," Regina said with a smile. She turned to Henry and Emma who were sitting on the couch.

"Henry, come say good bye. Alice has to go home," Regina said. Henry leapt from his seat and launched himself into Alice, hugging her tightly.

"Bye Alice! Let's hang out this week okay?" He told her, still not letting go. Alice held on tightly for a moment. When they pulled apart, she smiled.

"Maybe after school one day we can get some food at Granny's?" Alice suggested.

"Can we?" Henry asked excitedly, turning to Regina and then Emma.

"We'll see Henry," Regina said with a chuckle.

"That means yes," Henry whispered. Emma rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, kiddo. It's time for bed. Let me tuck you in," Emma called. Henry gave Alice one last sigh, and reluctantly made his way up stairs.

"Nice to meet you, Sheriff Swan," Alice called.

"It's Emma," She said with a laugh, "And you too kid." With a small wave, she followed Henry upstairs.

Regina led Alice to the door. They stood there quietly for a moment.

"Thank you, Alice," Regina said softly.

"Uhm, shouldn't I be saying that to you?" Alice asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I just meant thank you for spending time with us. Henry really loves to be with you, as you can probably tell," Regina said with a chuckle. She looked at the girl fondly. Then she noticed a glimmer on Alice's finger. It was a ring, and it looked incredibly familiar.

"Alice," Regina asked, "Where did you get your ring?"

"Oh…uh, I'm not really sure," Alice admitted, "I've had it ever since I can remember. It used to be on a chain when I was a baby, but when I got older I put it on my finger," Alice explained, lifting up her hand so Regina could see.

"What does the engraving say?" Regina asked, taking Alice's hand, admiring the ring.

""I don't know who wrote it, but uh…I've always kept it. My grandmother's never said anything about it," she explained. "But it says: Maybe it's fate, my love." Regina's breath caught in her throat when she heard those words, and she was taken back to a time long ago.

_**Fairy Tale Land**_

___"Daniel," Regina called, running into the stables. Her lover was sitting on a bucket._

_ "Hello, my love," Daniel said with a grin. Regina shut the barn doors, and ran into his arms. She felt safe and warm in his embrace._

_ "My mother and father have gone for the day. They will return late tomorrow evening," Regina explained._

_ "I know," Daniel chuckled._

_ "How?!" Regina asked._

_ "Because who do you think attached the horses to their carriage?" Daniel asked with a chuckle. He leaned in and kissed her chastely on the lips. Her lips parted slightly, and she let his tongue in to explore her mouth. She moaned into the kiss. Hands roaming and hearts racing, he pulled her onto his lap, not breaking the kiss. Suddenly, Regina pulled away._

_ "How do you know this isn't some sort of my mother's tricks?" Regina asked, suddenly worried._

_ "It's not," he assured her, kissing her forehead._

_ "How can you be so sure?" She asked, admiring his beautiful eyes._

_ "Call it intuition," He said with a shrug. He kissed her again. When they broke apart for lack of oxygen, she nestled her head into the crook of his neck._

_ "This is perfect," she murmured._

_ "Maybe it's fate, my love," he murmured, and he kissed her again._

**Present**

"Regina?" Alice asked, pulling Regina from her flashback.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear," Regina apologized, her cheeks reddening. Alice gave her a grin.

"Thank you so much for dinner," Alice said, "You know, when I first moved here, I was so terrified. Not that I haven't moved around a lot in my life, but it's just always nerve wracking, being in a new place…not knowing anyone. But everyone here has been so welcome, especially you. And I just want you to know how much I appreciate it," Alice said, biting her lip to hold back tears. Regina couldn't speak because she was so overwhelmed by Alice's words, so she continued, "And my grandmother is great and all…but she's not very warm and certainly not very motherly…And I know I haven't known you for too long, but I already feel that you're…I just really appreciate your hospitality and warmth," Alice admitted.

Regina, tears in her eyes, wrapped her arms around Alice. Alice held her mother very tightly, breathing in her scent, amazed at how amazing it felt to be held by someone. She had never had that before.

Regina herself couldn't believe that this was happening. This was her daughter. She was sure of it now, but she needed to know more about this said grandmother before she would reveal anything to Alice. The last thing she wanted was for Alice to get hurt.

They both reluctantly pulled away.

"I've really got to get going," Alice said sadly, "My grandmother will be worried."

"Alice, you're welcome here any time," Regina stressed, still concerned about sending her home.

"Thank you…so much," Alice said. With that, she left the house and ran across the yard quickly to her home, sure that Cora would be pissed. She knew she would be getting hurt tonight.

**.oOo.**

Regina shut the door and walked into the living room, followed by Emma.

"Did you hear all of that?" Regina asked, sitting on the couch.

"Yeah. You okay?" Emma asked.

"That's my daughter, Emma. I'm sure of it now," Regina said.

"The ring?" Emma asked.

"Daniel gave that to me. It was the ring from a horse saddle. But he had a friend in town who engraved jewelry and the friend engraved those words into the ring…Daniel used to say that to me all the time. Things rarely went right for us, but everything that happened, he said that it must be fate," Regina explained. Then Regina began to cry. Emma pulled her close and held her, as the usually strong and confident Mayor broke down.

"I heard her on the phone…and she asked the person on the other line if they would kill her, but she said killing her would be the person showing her mercy. Emma, she wants to be killed," Regina sobbed, "Who the hell is she living with?"

"So this grandmother might not be clean, you think?" Emma asked. Regina shook her head.

"I want her with us as much as possible. Any excuse for her to be out of that house means she's safer. And I want to find out more about who she's living with," Regina said firmly.

"Okay. We can do that," Emma said nodding. She hugged Regina once more.

"I've got to get home. Will you be okay?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, I will. Thank you, Emma," Regina said with a friendly smile.

"No problem, Regina," Emma said. She left, leaving Regina alone in her quiet house, Henry completely asleep upstairs.

**.oOo.**

"How was dinner?" Cora asked when Alice walked in.

"Fine," Alice said quickly.

"Hey," Cora yelled, pulling Alice to her by her throat with magic, "Don't give me any of that one word shit. You will tell me what you've found out today, or I swear I will make your life more of a hell than it already is!" She threw Alice to the ground, who was gasping for air.

"What do you want to know?" Alice asked with a raspy voice.

"What is her weakness?" Cora asked, eyebrow raised. Henry. That was Alice's first thought. But she wouldn't say that. Emma. That was her second thought. But she couldn't tell her that either.

"Me," Alice said, nervously.

"You?" Cora asked.

"Yes. She's starting to grow fond of me," Alice explained, "If you threaten me, it will bring Regina here and then you can kill her," Alice said, shaking as she gave her plan.

"How good of you to sacrifice yourself for your mother. Well, you can keep spending time with her until she really cares about you. Then we'll really see if you're her weakness," Cora said with a wicked grin. She picked Alice up again with a magical stream of purple light, and through her at the wall. That had become her favorite move. Alice cried out when she hit the wall.

"Good night, dear," Cora called, and walked away, leaving Alice groaning in pain.

**.oOo.**

Regina had invited Emma and Alice over for dinner everyday. Emma always came because she loved spending time with Henry, and it meant one less packet of Ramen for dinner. And Alice loved it because it meant more time with her mother, and less with Cora. And of course Cora wanted her relationship with Regina to grow. And Henry was just happy that his whole family was getting along, and Alice was there, too.

Friday morning came around and Alice found her phone ringing as she walked to school.

"Hello?" She answered.

_ "Alice, it's Regina," the voice on the other line replied._

"Hi!" Alice exclaimed, trying not to sound too excited, "What's up?"

_"I was wondering if you were busy tonight?" Regina asked. _

"Nope, just another fun night with my grandmother and televised bingo," Alice groaned. Regina laughed.

_"Would you mind babysitting Henry tonight? Emma and I were going to go out with Ruby and Belle for a girl's night, and Emma's parents are away for the weekend," Regina explained, "And Henry LOOOVES hanging out with you. Pretty much doesn't ever stop talking about you."_

"I'd love to," Alice agreed quickly, "What time?"

_"Could you be over around seven. And I'm not sure if we'll be home before the sun rises, so you're welcome to sleep over," Regina explained with a laugh._

"That sounds great. I'll see you tonight," Alice said, hanging up. She would have to run it by Cora, but she assumed it would be fine. Regina hung up and Alice made her way to school a little more quickly. Excited for another night away from Cora and with her real family where she belonged. But while she was glad to be spending time at her home away from home, she knew she should be focusing on how to save Regina from Cora, and how to defeat Cora once and for all.


	5. Chapter 4

**a/n: hi everybody. sorry its been so long since my last update! ive been SO busy with school but WOO i'm on spring break. But anyways. Here's the new chapter! read, review, and enjoy!**

Friday evening came around more quickly than Alice had imagined. Anticipating spending the evening with Henry made Cora's 'magic practice' and beatings seem less painful, even though Cora's powers were getting stronger. It wouldn't be too long before she would be ready to get Regina back. Alice just hoped that she could figure out a way to stop her before it was too late, or at the very least get Henry and Emma out of the cross fire. Alice knew that if Cora found out that Henry and Emma were Regina's weakness, she would use them to get to her daughter.

"I'm leaving now. Not sure when I'll be back," Alice called as she entered the living room. Cora was sitting in her rocking chair, as usual, holding her box.

"That's fine. I'll be watching," Cora said with an evil grin, fingering the edges of the box wickedly. Alice shuddered nervously, and left quickly.

**.oOo.**

"Henry, I think that's Alice, can you get the door?" Regina called from her bedroom. She was putting her last bit of makeup on, getting all dressed up for girl's night. Ruby had convinced her grandmother to start having Club Nights on Friday and Saturday nights, after months of begging and pleading and planning. Granny had finally agreed, and tonight was the kickoff.

"Hey Alice!" Henry exclaimed, a grin from ear to ear, as he pulled open the door with excitement.

"Hey Henry," Alice said smiling. She walked in but was stopped by Henry's giant hug.

"I missed you!" Henry exclaimed.

"I just saw you! We had lunch yesterday," Alice said with a chuckle.

"I know, but still. I did," Henry said matter-of-factly. Just then, Regina walked down the stairs, sporting a tight, short, black tressed. It was strapless, and she wore red pumps with it.

"Mom!" Henry exclaimed, "You'll probably need a jacket."

"What are you, my father now?" Regina teased, grabbing her coat of the chair.

"Hi, Alice," she said, as she put on the jacket. Alice gave a gentle smile.

"Hi," she replied, catching herself before she added 'mom' to the end of her sentence. It just seemed so natural, but yet it was so completely prohibited. She couldn't tell Regina that she was her daughter. Cora would kill her and then who knows what she would do to Regina, Henry and Emma. For now, she just had to keep quiet and hope she could figure something out.

"I'll be back…late," Regina said, not quiet sure of a time, "It depends how well this goes," she added with a chuckle.

"That sounds good," Alice said nodding.

"You're welcome to sleepover if we're back too late," Regina called as she walked into the kitchen to get her purse.

"Oh, uh…okay thanks," Alice replied hesitantly. She didn't know how Cora would feel about that.

"Bye honey," Regina said, kissing Henry on the forehead.

"Bye mom," Henry said, giving her a quick hug.

"There's money on the counter for food, I'm giving you free range on snacks and desserts tonight…just use your discretion. And go to bed at a reasonable hour," Regina requested.

"Yes moooooom," Henry groaned with a smirk.

"Thank you, Alice," Regina said with a smile.

"Anytime," Alice said quietly.

"Henry, why don't you go in the living room and pull out a game for you and Alice to play, ok?" Regina suggested. Henry agreed and ran off happily.

"He's really glad you're babysitting him," Regina explained, as Alice walked her to the door.

"I love spending time with him. He's a really great kid," Alice said, thinking of how much she really did love Henry. She was careful not to meet Regina's eye.

"You okay?" Regina questioned.

"Yeah, absolutely," Alice lied.

"Good," Regina said. She wasn't settling, but she was letting it go for now. She knew that Alice was lying to her, but she didn't know what to do.

"Alright…well I'll see you later," Regina said. She wrapped her arm around Alice's shoulder and let go when felt Alice stiffen up.

"Bye," Alice said quietly. Regina tried not to feel hurt by the sudden wall that Alice had put up. She left, after giving another smile.

Alice felt awful for how she had just acted. She had been cold and distant, and she knew that it had hurt Regina. But Cora was going to hurt Regina, and she had to back away from the situation. If she couldn't save Emma, Henry and Regina, she had to be able to make a clean break. Loving Regina, getting close to her, it would be too much.

Her painful thoughts were interrupted by Henry's calls.

"I'm coming! Calm down," Alice called, rolling her eyes. She walked into the living room and sat down with Henry on the floor as they began their evening of fun.

**.oOo.**

"Can I have my keys?" Emma asked for the thousandth time.

"No. You're drunk. Now stop bitching about it, and go inside. You can sleep in Henry's room…he can sleep with me tonight," Regina told her with a smile. She helped a stumbling Emma into the kitchen.

"I'll get you water and aspirin. Think you can make it up the stairs?" Regina mocked her.

"You know you're almost as bad as me!" Emma called as she climbed the stairs with great difficultly.

"I'm like three drinks from being as bad as you. Now be quiet. The kids are probably trying to sleep," Regina called. She walked into the kitchen and put her purse on the table. As she made her way to the living room to see what kind of mess the kids had left her house, her heart warmed.

Movie credits were rolling on the flat screen tv, and on the couch was Henry snuggled into Alice's arms. They were both sleeping peacefully, and seemed to have been for a while.

"Emma," Regina called up the stairs. Emma, now in sweatpants and a tee shirt, stumbled back down the stairs, a little more sober than before. Emma walked over to Regina, who was smiling fondly at the pair sleeping on the couch. Henry rolled over, and bunched more of Alice's shirt into his hands.

"It's how it should be…" Regina murmured, "But I can't say anything." She looked at Emma, with tears sparkling in her eyes and offered her a smile. Emma smiled back, and took Regina's hand in her own, and squeezed it tight.

"C'mon, let's leave them there and go to bed," Emma suggested. Regina gave them one last look. She walked over to Henry and gave him a kiss on the forehead, and carefully did the same for Alice.

"Alright…bedtime," Regina murmured. She helped Emma ease up the stairs, chuckling at the inebriated state of the younger woman.

"Emma, if you fall, you'll crush me," Regina said sternly as they walked.

"So?" Emma drunkenly giggled back.

"Don't fall." It wasn't a request. It was a command. Emma giggled some more, causing Regina to roll her eyes again.

They made their way up stairs and parted ways at the end of the hall to their rooms.

**.oOo.**

"I wonder what you're up to, Alice," Cora murmured. She opened the box holding Alice's purple and red glowing heart.

She waved her hand over it, but couldn't see anything. You could only use the heart to see if the owner of the heart was awake.

"Let's wake you up, then," Cora murmured, and with that, squeezed the heart as if to squeeze a balloon- enough so that it would squish, but not enough to crush it.

**.oOo.**

Suddenly Alice jolted up, screaming and writhing in pain. She grabbed her chest, and bit her lip to hold back her cries of pain, realizing that she would wake the whole house up. But she couldn't hold it back- the pain was overwhelming.

Henry shot up out of bed Alice shaking and screaming.

"Mom!" Henry cried and let from the couch, flying up the stairs at an intense rate of speed.

"Henry what is it?" Regina asked, sitting up groggily, rubbing her eyes.

"It's Alice! Come quick!" Henry begged, fear evident in his eyes. Regina got up quickly and ran down the stairs. Emma, hearing the commotion, followed suit behind them.

"Alice, Alice honey," Regina cried, but Alice couldn't breathe, she couldn't focus. She knew that Cora was squeezing her heart, but there was nothing she could do except scream through the pain. Henry began to cry.

"Mom! Do something!" Henry begged.

"I don't know-" Regina began, the fear seeping through her body.

"Grab her heart!" Emma cried out.

"What?" both Regina and Henry screamed.

"Her heart! She's holding her heart!" Emma pointed out. The panic in the room increased.

"I can't...I can't," Regina was shaking her head, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Regina you HAVE to," Emma said firmly, gripping Regina's shoulders.

"Okay…I just. Okay," Regina said and without much more thinking, she stuck her hand straight through Alice's chest. She gasped even more, but her pain did not stop, if anything, it increased. She was sweating and tears were flowing from her eyes.

"It's not there!" Regina exclaimed, her hand still in Alice's chest.

"What?" Emma asked shocked.

"Her heart! It's…it's not there!" Regina screamed. She pulled her hand out from Alice's chest, and dropped down onto the couch and wrapped her arms around Alice tightly, holding her until suddenly the pain stopped.

"Alice, honey are you okay?" Regina asked, still holding Alice, who had buried her head into Regina's chest. Suddenly aware of where she was, Alice broke out of Regina's grasp.

"I have to go," she said suddenly.

"Alice, maybe you should stay," Regina began.

"No I really have to go. Bye Henry….Emma," Alice said standing up. She walked quickly to the door and began to put her shoes on.

"Stay here," Regina told Emma and Henry, and followed after Alice, who was already out the door.

"Alice!" Regina called.

"Stop! You have to stop!" Alice called.

"Please wait. I can help you," Regina tried.

"Leave me alone! Stop calling me! Stop inviting me to dinner! Stop caring about me!" Alice screamed, and with that she broke out in a sprint back to her home.

"Damnit," Regina hissed, slamming the door.

"Regina?" Emma asked quietly.

"She left. She told me to leave her alone," Regina said angrily, and then she broke down, "And she left." Tears were falling faster then Regina could stop them.

"She went home?" Emma asked surprised.

"Yes, damnit. That's most likely where she went?" She spat back angrily.

"Mom?" Henry began.

"Go to bed," Regina said firmly. She didn't have anything else to say.

"It's okay, Henry," Emma murmured. She kissed him on the forehead, "Just go to sleep."

"Okay…" Henry said quietly. He still looked terrified.

"Everything will be okay," Emma whispered. She carefully sent Henry upstairs. When she was sure he was gone, she led Regina to the couch and held her while she cried.

**.oOo.**

"You fell asleep," Cora muttered.

"Well yeah. I was babysitting, and they got in late. I fell asleep," Alice spat, still trembling.

"What's wrong with you?" Cora asked.

"They know!" Alice screamed.

"What?" Cora spat.

"THEY KNOW I DON'T HAVE A HEART!" Alice screamed.

"How?" Cora yelled angrily.

"Well, Jesus, maybe because you started squeezing my heart to death and I screamed. And then only thing Regina could of doing was sticking her hand in there and feeling around to see what the hell was going on!" Alice exclaimed, bursting into tears.

"I have to go back…" Cora said.

"Home?" Alice whispered. She couldn't leave this world, not yet.

"Yes. But I'll be back in a few days."

"Am I coming?"

"Oh no. Of course not." With that, Cora lifted her hands, and closed her eyes. A dark swell of purple light surrounded her like a wicked halo. With one swoosh of her hands, and the purple magic flew at Alice at once. It slammed her against the wall, and she sunk to the floor, lifeless. She wasn't dead, but her bruised and bloody body would be unconscious for several days at least.

"Time to go home," Cora murmured, taking a peek at Alice, and with one last swoosh of magic, she had disappeared.

**.oOo.**

The week went by painfully slow. Alice hadn't returned Regina's numerous calls, so Regina stopped calling. She didn't say much at dinner with Henry, so he started going to Mary Margaret's for dinner. It's not that he didn't want to be with her, but he could tell that she didn't want him there.

"I'm going to go check on Regina," Emma told David and Mary Margaret one night after dinner. It had been about a week since Alice's incident, and Regina had been ignoring her.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" David asked her, sipping a beer.

"She needs someone," Emma said, "I'm not sure when I'll be back. Make sure you put Henry to bed before nine please." And with that, she left.

**.oOo.**

Regina opened her front door, and was surprised to see Emma about to knock.

"Ms. Swan," Regina said stiffly.

"We're friends now…it's Emma," Emma reminded her.

"Sorry…" Regina said.

"Are you going to let me in? " Emma asked.

"I'm on my way out. It's been a week. I'm going to tell her, Emma," Regina said firmly.

"Tell…?" Emma wondered.

"Alice. Who she is. Who I am to her…" Regina said.

"Are you sure that's the best thing to do?" Emma asked worriedly.

"I can't wait anymore. She has to know," Regina said, and she brushed past Emma.

"Regina wait!" Emma called, but Regina was already marching over to Alice's house. She followed Regina over.

"Alice!" Regina called knocking on the door.

"Maybe she's not home," Emma suggested, but Regina was on a warpath. She blew open the door with magic.

"Regina, what the hell?!" Emma exclaimed.

"Alice? Oh my god," Regina dropped to her knees when she saw Alice's body, lifeless on the floor. "Alice, honey, wake up. Please, Alice! Wake up for me," Regina begged, panic spreading through her body.


	6. Chapter 5

**a/n: hey guys! here's the next chapter! sorry for the long gaps between chapters. i was actually on vacation this week in CALIFORNIA. it was a blast.**

**enjoy!**

**and review-they motivate me so much! thanks to all of you who have been following this and reviewing!.**

"Alice!" Regina screamed, shaking the young girl's body. Her blonde hair was tangled and body looked so small and so broken. Suddenly, Alice's eyes opened a crack.

"R'gina?" Alice mumbled.

"Oh thank god," Regina breathed out a huge sigh. She lifted Alice's head onto her lap, so she was sitting up a little.

"Where's…" Alice tried to speak, but couldn't.

"Your grandmother isn't here," Regina said shaking her head, "But that doesn't matter. We have to get you out of here," she said firmly.

"No. You and Emma need to…go," Alice said, pausing to wince at the intense pain that was shooting through her body. "Take Henry and get as far away as you can," she warned.

"No Alice it's going to be okay. You don't need to worry," Regina murmured, too concerned about the state of her daughter to really pay attention to what she was saying.

"Wait- what are you talking about, Alice?" Emma asked moving closer.

"She's coming back. You have to leave," Alice tried again.

"Who Alice? Who is coming back," Emma interrogated. Suddenly there was a puff of purple smoke from behind Emma.

"Me," a wicked voice laughed as the smoke began to clear.

"Mother," Regina whispered, her voice barely audible. The fear was evident in both her voice and eyes. Emma took another step between Cora, and the pair on the floor.

"Regina, take Alice and go," Emma commanded, not breaking her stare with Cora. But Regina didn't move; she was absolutely frozen with fear.

"You don't need to do that, darling," Cora murmured with a sickening sweetness to her tone.

"Don't listen to her," Alice croaked, her voice raspy and tired.

"What do you want Cora?" Emma said fiercely, taking another step forward. Cora quickly tossed her aside against the wall with the flick of her wrist, rendering Emma unconscious.

"Emma!" Regina cried out, finally finding her voice. Regina gently laid Alice down and stood, stepping up to her mother.

"Where's your boy, Regina?" Cora asked. Regina's heart suddenly began racing. Where was Henry? Had Cora already gotten to him. Cora moved next to Alice.

"Stay away from her, and stay away from my son," Regina spat.

"I don't want them. I want you. You come with me, and they will remain unharmed," Cora threatened.

"Fine," Regina said throwing her hands up in defeat quickly.

"No fight?" Cora asked surprised. Even Alice was shocked at quickly Regina had given up.

"Not when it comes to them. I'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe, and if that means leaving with you…then fine," Regina said nodding. Cora took a step closer to Regina and when she looked into her eyes, she realized what was running through Regina's mind.

"You think I want to rule a kingdom with you, don't you? You think that we'll be a mother daughter powerhouse. Is that really what you think I want? Your love? Your friendship?" Cora asked, laughing menacingly.

"Isn't that what you've always wanted?" Regina asked, in a quiet, childlike voice.

"I did, but that was before your friend Killian came to me through the portal twenty eight years ago. The portal YOU sent him through. Do you know what he told me?" Cora asked. Regina shook her head.

"He said you wanted me dead. And I told him that you should have killed me. But you were always weak. You were a coward," Cora spat, "And you lost your chance. And now- I'm going to kill you."

Regina, once again, frozen, did not know what to do. Cora mustered up all her power and force and raised her arms. This blow would kill Regina.

"NO!" Alice screamed, and used all her strength to dive in front of Regina, with the box that held her heart in her hands, shielding Regina from Cora's magic.

Most of the magic reflected off the box and reversed, hitting Cora, sending her flying into the air. Alice did absorb some of the magic, and she landed on the ground next to Regina.

Regina was now alone. And for once, she had no response. She didn't know what to do.

"Mother," she whispered, shakily. She walked over to her mother's body, lying cold and still on the carpeted floor. She knelt down and put her fingers to her neck, taking her pulse. Nothing. She slowly and carefully reached into Cora's chest and was surprised to find her heart. Pulling it out, she crushed it gingerly. When the dust had fallen from her fingers, she was sure Cora was dead.

Then she moved to Emma, who was sitting up, holding her aching head.

"Where's Cora?" Emma asked worriedly.

"Dead," Regina said shaking her head almost regretfully.

"And Alice?" Emma asked, trying to stand. Her attempts were futile.

"Over there..stay down," Regina told her gently, easing her back against the wall. She walked over to Alice, who's eyes were only half open.

"My heart…" Alice murmured, "It's in the box." She motioned towards a small brown box in the corner. "I need you to put it back," she pleaded, her voice sounded small. Regina quickly retrieved the box and pulled out the heart. It was small and damaged, and had an irregular beat to it.

"What if she cursed it?" Regina asked worriedly.

"I can't keep living my life, afraid that someone has it…that someone has more control over me than I do," Alice said feebly. She sounded terrified, but at the same time, so very brave.

"I don't know…I don't want to hurt you again."

"Please." It was a quiet request, and it had to be done. So Regina to a deep breath, and placed Alice's heart back in as gently and as lovingly as she could.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, as Alice's face contorted with pain. Her blue eyes shot open when the heart was placed.

"You have your father's eyes…" Regina whispered, with a small smile. She cradled Alice's head in her lap.

"You knew?" Alice murmured.

"I had my suspicions the first night you had dinner…and then you told me about your ring. Your father gave that to me. We were going to get married and run away, but Cora…" Regina tried to explain, but lost the ability to speak. Her hands were trembling and her eyes were brimmed with tears.

"It's okay…I know," Alice said nodding. Suddenly she felt weak.

"Alice?" Regina exclaimed.

"It was cursed…Leave it to Cora to get what she wants even when she's gone…" Alice murmured, amused. Her eyes started to close.

"No, no, no. Please, Alice," Regina begged.

"There's nothing…." Alice said, gasping, "that you can do." And with her last breath, she added, "I'm sorry."

"No please!" Regina screamed.

"Regina," Emma called out, but Regina ignored her, as tears streamed down her face.

"I lost you once, I can't lose you again!" Regina screamed, hold her daughter tightly. "I love you," Regina cried. Sobs wracked her body, and she didn't even know that Emma was limping behind her, until she felt Emma's arms around her back.

"I love you, Alice," Regina whispered, and kissed Alice's forehead. Suddenly, there was a flash of great light- it was white and bright blue. Regina felt the warmth radiating from both her and Alice's skin, as new life coursed through her daughter's veins.

Alice gasped, sitting up quickly. She launched herself into her mother's arms.

"Mom," she breathed out, the words coming out in a sob, as she felt her mother's strong embrace around her, holding her together. She held onto Regina, as if she were her life line- the only thing keeping her from slipping away.

"I'm not going to let you go ever again," Regina vowed, and Alice new that she was telling the truth. And for once, Alice finally felt completely safe.

**a/n: well folks, we aren't done yet! i know this was a little short, but i have much more in store. stick around for more soon!**


	7. Chapter 6

**a/n: okay and here's more. i've been such a lazy fuck and haven't written and i'm so sorry. i've been so busy, but here's another chapter now! please review!**

**thanks to everyone who's stuck around and has been reading. you're the best :)**

Regina sat in a hospital bed with Alice asleep in her lap. She was absentmindedly running her fingers gently through blonde curls. Emma was next door in her own hospital bed asleep, with Mary Margaret and David sitting with her. Henry had been bouncing between the two rooms, sitting with one mother for some time, then moving to the other, but he was now fast asleep in Alice's room, in a plush chair in the corner.

As Regina stroked Alice's face gently, she couldn't help but think of her mother, and of Daniel, and of all the pain had been inflicted on Alice. Dr. Whale had said that though everything had been healed, there were large traces of injuries caused and healed by magic. Cora had abused Alice a seemingly endless amount of times, and several of those times had been when she was living right next door to Regina. Regina had been so close, and yet she had no idea of Alice's suffering.

A few tears fell from Regina's dark eyes into Alice's hair, as silent sobs wracked through the woman's body. She tried to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to wake the girl, but Alice woke anyways.

"Why are you crying?" she murmured, but Regina didn't respond. Instead, she pressed soft kisses onto her daughter's head. Alice buried her head into Regina's chest, allowing the older woman to hold her closer.

"You could've told me," Regina whispered, meeting Alice's eyes with her own.

"I know…I'm sorry," Alice said, her eyes full of their own salty tears.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you with Cora…and I'm so sorry I didn't fight harder for you then," Regina told her, holding her daughter tightly.

"You saved my life…." Alice murmured. "All my life I wondered what it would be like for you to hold me, and I never thought I'd get to know."

"Everything is going to be a lot different now. A lot better, too. I'm promise you that," Regina said firmly.

"I love you, mom," she said, testing out the new word again. "I love calling you mom…" Alice admitted sheepishly.

"I love hearing. And I love you, too," Regina said. The pair drifted off into a quiet sleep again, both determined to not let the other go ever. Regina would hold on to Henry and Alice and protect her. She would never let anyone take them away from her.

**a/n: well that's the end of Locked Up! I'm sorry if you're dissappointed with this rather abrupt end, but I am strongly considering a sequel…so if you all think that would be a good plan, let me know! thank you so much to everyone for reading. :)**


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